148. performance
series could end on schedule. At the request of Doordarshan officials, Sagar prom-
ised in writing that he would conclude with a special one-hour telecast on July 31.^16
The airing of the final installment was marked by festivities in many parts of the
country. Sunday newspapers carried full-page articles on the serial, featuring pho-
tos of its stars and headlines like “Farewell to ‘Doordarshan Ramayan’ .”^17 In Ba-
naras, many neighborhoods were decorated with saffron-colored pennants and fes-
tive illuminations, while residents celebrated Ram’s enthronement by distributing
sweets, sounding bells and conches, and setting off fireworks.^18 In the Maharashtrian
city of Nagpur, canopies were erected at principal intersections and color sets in-
stalled to allow those without televisions to witness the spectacle.^19 Other munici-
palities reported homes decorated with earthen oil lamps to welcome Ram’s return,
prompting one reporter to call it an “early Divali” (similarly, the slaying of Ravan
several weeks before had been observed in some areas as an out-of-season dafahra
festival).^20
Yet amid the descriptions of rejoicing, there were intimations of grief and loss as
viewers anticipated the first of many Sundays without Ram and Sita. These sentiments
found expression in the press a week later, detailing the stages of what one columnist
called “the national withdrawal symptom.” The front-page headline ofJansattaon
August 9 announced, “WithoutRamayanSunday Mornings Seem Empty.” Noting
that people throughout the country passed their firstRamayan-less Sunday “with dif-
ficulty,” the paper reported responses to the show’s absence by people in various
neighborhoods of the nation’s capital. These ranged from a betel seller in Shakarpur
who observed, “After so many months, I’m finally getting some business on Sunday
morning!” to a clothseller in Karolbagh who explained why he had sent his in-shop tel-
evision set back home by asking, “Why watch television now thatRamayanis over?”
Anticipating a promised sequel, a woman shopping on Chandni Chowk no doubt
summed up the feelings of many devoted viewers: “At least we only have to wait two
months. Then Ram will return! Mother Kausalya waited fourteen years for Ram to
come back, but I don’t know if we can manage for even two months.”^21
THE KATHAAND THE CAMERA
Clearly, viewer perceptions of the pace and duration of the Sagar Ramayan varied
greatly. While reviewers in the English-language press complained about the ago-
nizingly slow advance of the narrative—“what with taking practically five episodes
to kill Bali and another five to behead Kumbhakarna”^22 —such criticism was less